Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) on Nov. 11 vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would have forgiven some penalties imposed on businesses for first-time COVID-19 violations in Michigan. House Bill 4501 would have prevented the Michigan Occupational and Safety Health Administration (MIOSHA) from issuing fines to businesses for a “first-time civil violation of an emergency standard related to COVID-19, if the employer corrects the violation,” according to a Nov. 3 statement from Michigan House Republicans. The Bill, endorsed by Rep. Timmy Beson, would also require “MIOSHA to reimburse civil fines paid for violating executive orders related to COVID-19 that have been struck down by the Michigan Supreme Court.” However, Gov. Whitmer said the bill would cause Michigan to “fall below the minimum standard required by federal law,” leading to “disastrous consequences.” “When a state fails to maintain the minimum standard, it loses control over enforcement of workplace standards,” Whitmer wrote in her veto …